This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Victoria Sutton
Jane Green was one of those pioneering chick lit authors of
the 90’s whose books I read voraciously in my late teens/early twenties. From
the moment I read Straight Talking Green established herself as my favourite of
them all; there was so much I related to in her writing while also being
endlessly entertained. Yes, her style has changed over the years, but so has
mine; I feel like I have grown up with her. I couldn’t wait to see what Jane's latest novel had in store for me…
The Accidental Husband is set around two main characters, Sylvie and Maggie. These are both happily married women in their mid forties raising their families who are approaching college age. But that's where the similarity ends. Living on opposite sides of the country they live completely different lives. They don’t know each other and are blissfully unaware of a connection they do share, a secret that will change both of their lives forever…
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Sylvie is instantly the more likeable of the two. At the start of the book we learn that she has already suffered a tragedy in her life and we are immediately sympathetic towards her because of this. We also very quickly learn of the closeness this has brought to her relationship with her daughter Eve, which makes what we next discover about Eve all the more shocking.
Maggie’s story is told from the first person. I don’t know whether this was to distinguish the story told by each of the women and their families but I imagine that it was also to try and lend more sympathy towards Maggie, as at first I certainly didn’t have much! Due to this narrative style we get to really see her deepest thoughts and feelings and experience the changes she goes through so that we can grow to like her too.
The novel is set in five parts that allows us to see the story of Maggie and Sylvie shown from both of their perspectives and also how their situations change over the course of three years, and then another two years further on. I loved this as so often we can be left wondering what has become of the characters we have taken to our hearts over the course of a novel. It also allowed the storyline to take place over a realistic time scale rather than feeling rushed.
It wasn’t long before I guessed the big secret, or even how the reveal would happen, but that didn’t matter. What made me want to keep reading were the characters I had become involved with and the need to know how they would deal with their circumstances. The compulsion to turn the page and read on was ever present as Jane Green wove her storytelling magic and held me captive.
A new Jane Green novel is an event I look forward to each year and The Accidental Husband ensures that this is still, very much, the case.
9/10